We work in neighbourhoods across the city in partnership with residents and stakeholders to help create communities that thrive
Our team of Community Workers work collaboratively on initiatives and events throughout the year to create opportunities for people, help to improve our spaces and promote community cohesion and ownership.
Community development initiatives
Gardening day at Camels Head
Residents of Camels Head Supported Housing Scheme joined forces with teams from Plymouth Community Homes to give their popular garden area a seasonal refresh just in time for summer. From weeding and mulching to planting new seeds, it was a full day of teamwork and sunshine.
With tools provided by The Environmental Team, staff from the Communications, Communities, Procurement, and Supported Housing teams got stuck in as part of the gardening crew.
Energy levels were kept high and refreshed by Camels Head residents, who planned the event and made sure no one went without tea, coffee, or cake throughout the day.
The garden has been building towards this moment. Back in autumn, more than 1,000 bulbs were planted — and now, as spring arrives, the space will come alive with colour from blooming tulips and daffodils. With the new seeds now in the ground, summer promises even more floral displays.
Rheinallt Huws, Communities Worker at Plymouth Community Homes said: "We had a very successful day at Camels Head, with a great teamwork effort from all staff. We look forward to the following months when they start to bloom"
"It’s become a space that brings smiles to everyone passing by — a lovely reminder of what can happen when people come together to care for their community."
PCH strengthen local litter picking partnership
Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) is proud to continue its strong partnership with Clean Our Patch (COP), a local litter-picking initiative dedicated to keeping the community clean and green, with the recent sale of a retired PCH vehicle.
As part of the ongoing collaboration, the fleet vehicle will start a new life and assist COP with the fantastic work they do.
PCH works closely with COP, collaborating to maintain the cleanliness of local streets and enhancing the quality of life of its residents in the neighbourhoods. By providing COP with a van, PCH reinforces its commitment to keeping our streets clean, safe, and appealing for residents.
Rheinallt Huws, Communities Worker at Plymouth Community Homes said: “Clean Our Patch does an incredible job ensuring that our PCH neighbourhoods remain free from unsightly and environmentally damaging litter. Their dedication and hard work positively impact our community. Plymouth Community Homes is proud to support their efforts. We encourage anyone interested in contributing to our Litter Pick Groups to reach out and get involved. Together, we can make a significant difference in our community.”
Sharing a post on Facebook, COP said: “So we’ve got some exciting news!
As you all know Doris (the car) went off at start her new life just before Christmas. We obviously needed a new vehicle so we decided to invest in something that will last COP. Thanks to Plymouth Community Homes we have upgraded and got ourselves a VAN!”
This collaboration highlights the importance of supporting community initiatives and local organisations, allowing them to work hand in hand to create a cleaner and greener Plymouth.
Tree planting in Plymouth
Over winter, the PCH Communities Team and the Environmental Team have been working with the Plymouth Tree People and the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest to plant trees on PCH land.
This work will go some way to tackle climate change and improve British wildlife habitats.
This winter, we planted trees at Devonport Hill, Pentamar Street, Ross Street, Queen Street, Albert Road, Albany Flats and Henderson Place. PCH residents gave ideas about which trees they’d like to see planted and feedback about the work was positive.
The Beacon food cooperative
We've been working with residents in North Prospect to help them to access affordable good quality food.
A link has been made with the city's Cooperative Food Project Manager from 4 Greens Community Trust and local charity Fareshare.
Run by its members for its members, the coop is designed to help reduce the amount of surplus food getting wasted by redistributing it to the community.
Each member takes an active role in the food coop in order to ensure it is operating in a way that benefits its members. The coop operates on a membership basis, although spaces do come up from time to time.
Janners Men's Shed to raise money for a community defibrillator
The Janner Men’s Shed have invested in a laser printer and can now laser intricate patterns and designs into wood. The laser printed pen below, can have any words printed on it, and would be an ideal birthday gift. They only cost £2.50 each.
Together with other local partners, such as the local shops, the local pub and the bingo group, the Shed have also started to collect money for a community defibrillator. The nearest one is over a mile away and would be of no use in an emergency. Over winter, there were 3 medical emergencies near the Hall when a defibrillator would have been useful.
So far, they’ve raised £1,000 and need to raise £3,000 for all the equipment.
The Janner Men’s Shed meets weekly at Leigham Community Hall. This popular group comes together to socialise, have lunch and complete wordwork. It’s a safe place to meet, converse, share skills, create, and make new friends. The group is supported by a PCH Community Development Worker.
Plymouth Pride 2024
We teamed up with Plymouth Pride for 2024, one of the top Pride events in the UK, as a Pride Community Champion sponsor,
Organised by Plymouth Pride CIC, the event brought together local organisations and businesses and other stalls, exhibitions and activities ran by local LGBTQIA+ organisations.
Attendees were able to connect with community members, discover resources, and learn about various initiatives dedicated to promoting LGBTQIA+ rights.
Rockpool ramble and beach clean with Mount Batten Watersports & Activities Centre
Last month, younger PCH residents were hosted by Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre for a day of activities including canoeing, a rockpool ramble and beach clean.
Hayley Kemp, Community Worker, said: “We are so pleased to be working in partnership with Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre and truly appreciative of this opportunity they have given our younger residents.
"Not only did they have the most fun day together, they learnt to work together as a team and connected with other younger residents whilst learning to respect our seas. It was apt that this was an activity for children and the ocean, both of which are essential to our future. We’re looking forward to working with Mount Batten Water Sports Centre again in the summer holidays.”
North Prospect lantern parade
Working in partnership with Sovereign Housing and The Conscious Sisters, PCH organised a lantern parade with carol singing around North Prospect, following lantern making workshops with local adults and children.
The lanterns were paraded around local streets and stopped at the SNG Sheltered Housing scheme for carol singing.
30 people were in attendance and were warmly welcomed by the wider community.
The parade was finished with hot chocolate, cakes and sandwiches at The Beacon which were provided by North Prospect Food Coop.
Fishing Friends
We are currently working in partnership with The Conscious Sisters on Fishing Friends to increase residents’ interaction with the sea, as well as improve mental and physical well-being, teaching skills to cook and addressing food poverty.
Last year’s Marine Edibles project was so successful that PCH and The Conscious Sisters worked in partnership to successfully obtain £20k from the National Lottery Fund and £2k from Sports England for fishing equipment to repeat the project over the next two years.
We have already started the first intake this year and have so far included shore fishing, boat fishing, a talk on the maritime history of Plymouth and a VR swimming with Dolphins experience.
We are currently doing more fishing and later we will be learning to cook the fish we catch, making a fish pie and a Spanish fish stew.
